EMC Offers Free Community Version of ‘Big Data’ Analytics Tools

Paul Ferrill

Updated · Feb 02, 2011

EMC (NYSE: EMC) has released a free community edition of the EMC Greenplum Database, along with analytic algorithms and data mining tools.

Free downloads of the massively parallel processing (MPP) database are available at community.greenplum.com.

Based on technology EMC acquired from Greenplum and the EMC Greenplum Data Computing Appliance, the new community edition “removes the cost barrier to entry for big data power tools empowering large numbers of developers, data scientists and other data professionals,” EMC said in a press release.

However, EMC notes that the community edition “is intended for experimentation, development and research purposes only. Current Single-Node Edition users can deploy the new Community Edition in their single-node production environments. Greenplum commercial licenses must be purchased prior to using code for internal data processing or for any commercial or production purpose.”

The community edition includes:

  • Greenplum Database CE, an MPP database for large-scale analytics and next-generation data warehousing.
  • MADlib, the open source analytic algorithms library, providing data-parallel implementations of mathematical, statistical and machine learning methods for structured and unstructured data.
  • Alpine Miner an intuitive visual data mining modeler that delivers rapid “modeling to scoring” capabilities, leverages in-database analytics, and is purpose-built for “big data” applications.

The free tools will enable the community to better understand their data, gain deeper insights and better visualize insights, and to contribute and participate in the development of next-generation tools and solutions, EMC said.

The Community Edition can be downloaded as a pre-configured VMWare virtual appliance for use on laptops and desktops, or as a set of packages for deployment on user machines. Existing Greenplum customers can use the community to download an upgraded version of Greenplum Database CE and analytic tools for integration into their development and research environments.

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Paul Ferrill
Paul Ferrill

Paul Ferrill has been writing for over 15 years about computers and network technology. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering as well as a MS in Electrical Engineering. He is a regular contributor to the computer trade press. He has a specialization in complex data analysis and storage. He has written hundreds of articles and two books for various outlets over the years. His articles have appeared in Enterprise Apps Today and InfoWorld, Network World, PC Magazine, Forbes, and many other publications.

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